Variable timing device



z mmw y 1939, c. H. BISSELL VARIABLE TIMING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 8, 1937 ATTORNEY Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES Grouse-Hinds Company,

Syracuse, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application April 8, 1937, Serial No. 135,821

17 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical timing devices of the type used to periodically energize one or more electrical circuits in a predetermined order or sequence. Timers of this type are used to operate trafiic signals, electric signs, and the like.

The invention has as an object, a particularly economical, simple and efiicient construction by which a number of electrical circuits may be energized in great many different combinations.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions here-- inafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure l. is a fragmentary, front, elevational view of a timing device embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken on lines 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the movable contacts, and a fragmentary detail view of a contiguous portion or" the contact carrying disk illustrating the manner in which the contacts are detachably mounted on the disk.

The invention comprises generally an annular series of stationary contacts, a rotatable disk, a plurality of contacts carried by said disk and being arranged normally to travel in a path out of engagement with said stationary contacts and being individually shiftable to successively engage and energize said stationary contacts, an electrical circuit, said movable contacts being connected in common to one side said circuit certain selected ones of the stationary contacts being connected in the other side of said circuit, said circuit further including means operable upon energization of of said selected stationary contacts to shift a succeedin one of said movable contacts in position to the stationary contacts. The shnted movable contacts successively engage each of the stationary contacts during one cycle or the disk, and at the end of the cycle such movable contact returns to its normal position,

The construction here shown consists oi a frame comprising a plate member it having a bent over oase portion ii, and a circular support I? mounted on the plate by studs The support member 52 is formed with a central aperture in which is mounted a bushing i l and with a comparatively large aperture 55 through which a motor extends. motor it is mounted on plate it by studs ii, and is preferably of the (Cl. ZOO-27) constant speed or synchronous type and in which is embodied a suitable gear reduction. The drive shaft iii of the motor extends outwardly from the face side of the support l2.

annular member formed of insulating material is detachably ro-Lounted upon the support it. in concentric relation to the bushing it. As hee shown, the annular member is formed with a radially inwardly extending flange El which overlaps the marginal edge of the support it "and which is detachably secured thereto as by means of screws The periphery of the annular member is in the form of annular flange extending forwardly rearwardly from radial flange portion The edge of the for-- wardly extending poi ion is rounded, and the periphery thereof extends in angular relationship to the axis of the men: er and is formed with spaced apart slots i l to receive stationary contact members 25. The rearwardly attending portion 2%; of the annular flange is provided with a peripheral projection ill and the edge of the flange is rounded similar to the edge of the forwardly extending flange 23. The forwardly extending flange 2% is formed with a comparatively wide notch the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

contacts 25 are formed of thin sheet metal Jith a hook portion 29 at one to overlap the rounded edge of the lange 23, and with a si1nihooked end portion at the opposite end, the contacts being of such width as to fit into slots 2 1-, are formed with a slightly raised projection 25% adjacent the curved end The contacts are held in place a Ll-shaped spring clip member 32, one end of which coacts with the curved end ill of the contact 25, and the opposite end coasting with the rounded edge of the rearwardly exte ding portion 2%; of annular member 28. The spr .g clips are preferably formed with a tail piece to which conductors may be attached.

As illustrated in Figure l, the contacts 25 are spaced close together and there is a comparatively large number of contacts arranged about the circumference of the annular member fill. fhese stationary contacts 25 are successively energized by movable contacts carried by a disk or wheel in mounted upon a hub ll of insulating as by bolts $2. The hub is secured to a shaft as by pin l i, and the shaft 33 is rotatably mounted in bushing it carried by the support member l2. As here shown, the shaft is held from axial movement by a fixed collar G5 abutting against the face side of support member tile l and a detachable collar 36 abutting against the rear side thereof.

A ring member i! is attached to each side of the wheel 46 as by rivets 48, and the ring members extend radially outwardly beyond the periphery of the wheel member forming spaced apart flanges in which the movable contacts are detachably secured. The movable contacts are formed of a strip of spring material and consists of an elongated portion 59 extending toward the annular member Eli, and a bent over portion 55. The ring members 3! are provided with spaced apart apertures 52, the outer sides of which are provided with a corner piece 53 to receive notches 53 formed in one side of the bent over portion 5!. The apertures 52 in each ring member t? are arranged in axial alinement. The inner portion of the apertures is of such width to receive the elongated portion 553 of the contact, and the outer portion of the notches 52 is of such width as to receive the bent over portion 55 of the contact with the notches 5-; engaging the corner piece 53. It will be apparent that the movable contacts are inserted in the rotary disk or wheel by inserting the elongated portion 59 of the cont-act through the apertures and slightly depressing the over-turned portion 5i until the contact has been moved axially to bring the notches 54 into register with the corner pieces '53, at which time the bent over portion is released and the same springs upwardly with the notches 5d engaged by the corner pieces The movable contacts are thus accurately positioned relative to the wheel 48 and annular member 2t and are readily removable by simply pressing radially inwardly on the bent over portion 59 and sliding the contact axially away from the annular member 29. Inasmuch as the contacts 25, 503 are the only elements in the device which receive any appreciable amount or wear, the convenient manner in which both contacts may be removed and replaced is of importance in a device of this kind.

It will be understood that the stationary contacts 25 carried by the annular member are removed by pulling the tail piece of spring clip 32 re-arwardly and radially outwardly from the rear end of the flange 2E. The contact is then removable and a new one inserted in the slot it, the end of the spring clip 32 hooked into the rear curved end 353 of the contact, and the spring clip snapped over the rear edge of the flange 2B.

The notches 52 in wheel 38 are spaced from the shaft 33 so as to position the free ends of the movable contacts within the flange 23 of annular member 20 as shown in Figure 2, and the length of the movable contacts is such that the free ends thereof may be sprung upwardly through the slot 28 and will then overlap or contact the raised portions 35 of stationary contacts 25. The movable contacts are connected in common to one side of the electrical circuit. As here shown, a contact member fill is secured to the wheel 36 with the free end arranged in axial alinement with the shaft A3 and pressing against a contact bar El carried by a block of insulating material 82 secured to the rear plate Hi and being provided with a binding screw 63 for attachment to one side of the electrical circuit. The other side of the electrical circuit is connected to one or more selected ones of the stationary contacts 25. Accordingly, as the movable contacts pass over the stationary contacts 25 they are successively energized, and when the selected ones of the stationary contacts become energized a circuit is completed to the apparatus controlled by the timing device. The Wheel 40 is preferably rotated at low speed and due to the comparatively large number of stationary contacts a large number of difierent combinations may be obtained and the various periods of the cycle of the wheel ii] are determined by the spacing between the selected ones of the stationary contacts and the spacing of the elevated movable contacts.

The mechanism for shifting the ends of the movable contacts from their normal position within the annular member 20 to the out position where they travel over the periphery of the annular member and successively engage the contacts 255 is here shown in the form of a radially movable plunger 6 slidably mounted in a bracket 65 secured to the annular member 20 and support it, as by screws G6. The plunger 64 is operated by a solenoid 61 which, when energized, moves the plunger i3 1 upwardly or radially outwardly a predetermined distance. The outer end of the plunger 65 is formed with an angular cam surface 6E. The surface 68 is arranged to extend upwardly in the direction of rotation of the wheel 45. Accordingly, when the solenoid 61 is energized and the plunger 64 moved outwardly, the movable contacts 58 carried by the wheel 40 contact the cam surface 63 of the plunger, and the same forms a guide to move the ends of the contacts 58 outwardly through the notch 28 to the peripheral surface of the annular member, and the movable contact then passes over the stationary contacts 25 making a complete cycle in this ositicn, and when the elevated contact reaches the notch 23 it springs back to normal position and if the plunger 64 is not moved to out position at that time the contact continues through another cycle in normal position within the annular member 26.

The solenoid t? is connected in a circuit including a certain selected one or ones of the stationary contacts 25. As shown in Figure 1, the sides of the circuit are indicated by the wires it, iii. The movable contacts 50 are connected to the hot side of the circuit or wire 70 by wire,

72, contact bar iii, contact 66 and wheel 40. One side of the solenoid G7 is connected to a stationary contact designated M by' wires 14, 15, and the other side of the solenoid is connected to the common return H by wire 16. Assuming any one of the movable contacts 50 has been elevated to travel on the periphery of the annular member 29 when such elevated contact engages the stationary contact E3, the circuit will be completed from the movable contact through stationary contact 73, wires 15, 14, solenoid 61, wire it, to the other side of the circuit H. The plunger t t will be then elevated and another one of the movable contacts moved to travel on the periphery of the annular member 28, as indicated in Figure l,

The timing device may be used to control any form of electrical apparatus. It is particularly adapted to traffic signal work, and the schematic wiring diagram accompanying Figure 1 further includes a green signal 19 and a red signal 8%), both connected to the common return wire it and to respective contacts BI, 82 which, in turn, are contacted by a movable armature 8d connected to the hot side 10 of the circuit through wire 85. The armature 84 is shifted into engagement with the respective contacts 8|, 82, by solenoids 86, 87. As here shown, the solenoid 86 is also connected to the stationary cona time the go signal 1! will tact 13 by wires 15, 88, and to the common return wire H by wire 89. The solenoid 81 is connected to another one of the stationary contacts designated 90 by wire SI, and also to the return wire H through wires 89, 92.

From the circuit described, it will be apparent that when any one of the elevated movable contacts engages the stationary contact 90, the solenoid 81 will be energized drawing the armature 84 into engagement with contact 82 effecting display of the red signal 80, and when the stationary contact 13 is energized the solenoid 85 will shift the armature 84 into engagement with contact 8| extinguishing the red light 80 and displaying the green light 19. Accordingly, the length of time the red light 80 is displayed depends upon the spacing between the stationary contacts 90, 13, or rather the spacing between the selected ones of the stationary contacts. For example, the wire '15 might be connected to one of the stationary contacts near the bottom of the annular member, in which event the display of the red signal would prevail for a proportionately longer period of time. The length of be displayed depends upon the distance of the selected contact as from the notch 28.

Attention is called to the fact that another feature that controls the display of the signals 19, 80 is the selection of the stationary contact to energize the solenoid 61. It will be understood that the wire 14 may be connected to any one or ones of the stationary contacts 25, and the closer the selected contact is to the notch 23, the greater the number of movable contacts traveling on the periphery of the annular member 20. For example, if the wire 14 is connected to the stationary contact adjacent the slot 28, each of the movable contacts will be elevated and accordingly, all of the movable contacts carried by wheel 49 will be traveling on the outside of the annular member 20 at all times, except those below slot 28, this slot being of sufficient width to permit proper operation of the plunger 58. If the stationary contact to which wire 74 is connected is spaced from the slot 28, then only two movable contacts will travel on the outside of the annular member 20. Preferably, the number of movable contacts is one less or one greater than the number of stationary contacts, in order that each movable contact will be elevated only once in a comparatively great number of revolutions of the wheel 40 to eliminate excessive wear on any one or ones of the movable contacts.

What I claim is:

1. A timing device of the class described, comprising a frame, a stationary annular series of contacts mounted on the frame, a movable annular series of contacts rotatably mounted on the frame concentric with said annular series, means for rotating said movable series of contacts, said last mentioned contacts normally traveling in a path out of engagement with said stationary contacts and being individually shiftable to travel in a path to successively energize the contacts of said stationary series during one cycle of said movable series, and to return to normal position at the end of said cycle, and means operable to shift certain selected ones of the contacts of said movable series during each cycle thereof.

2. A timing device including an annular series of stationary contacts, a rotatable disk, means operable to rotate said disk, a plurality of contacts carried by said disk and being arranged to normally travel in a path out of engagement with said stationary contacts and being individually shiftable to successively energize said stationary contacts during one cycle of said disk and being operable to return to normal position at the end of said cycle, said shiftable contacts being connected in common to one side of a circuit and certain selected ones of said stationary contacts being connected to the other side of said circuit, and said circuit including means operable upon energization of each of said selected stationary contacts to shift a succeeding shiftable contact.

3. A timing device including an annular series of stationary contacts, a rotatable disk, means operable to rotate said disk, a plurality of contacts carried by said disk and being arranged to normally travel in a path out of engagement with said stationary contacts and being individually shiitable to successively energize said stationary contacts during one cycle of said disk and being operable to return to normal position at the end of said cycle, and means operable to shift selected ones of said movable contacts during each cycle of said disk.

4. A timing device including a suitable frame, an annular support member carried by the frame, a plurality of contacts detachably mounted upon the periphery of said member, a disk rotatably mounted upon the frame on an axis concentric with said annular member, means for rotating said disk at a predetermined speed, a plurality of contacts carried by said disk and arranged to normally travel within said annular member, and electro-responsive means operable when energized to shift selected ones of said contacts carried by said disk radially outwardly, whereby said shifted contacts travel on the periphery of said annular member and successively energize the contacts carried thereby.

5. A timing device comprising a. suitable frame, an annular member mounted on said frame, a plurality of contacts detachably secured to said member, a disk journalled on the frame on, an axis concentric with said annular member and being provided with a plurality of contacts extending toward said annular member and being arranged to normally travel in a path out of engagement with the contacts carried by said annular member and being individually shiftable to successively energize said stationary contacts during one cycle of said disk and being operable to return to normal position at the end of said cycle, an electrical circuit including said shftable contacts and certain ones of said stationary contacts and also including means operable upon energization of each of said selected contacts to shift a succeeding one of said shiftable contacts.

6. A timing device comprising a suitable frame, an annular member mounted on the frame, a plurality of contacts detachabiy secured about the periphery of said member, a disk journalled in the frame on an axis concentric with said annular member and being provided with a plurality of contacts extending toward said member and normally arranged to travel within said annular member out of engagement with said contacts carried thereby, the edge of said annular member confronting said disk being formed with a notch, means carried by the frame and operable to shift the free end of said contacts carried by the disk radially outwardly through said notch into engagement with the contacts carried by said stationary member, and means for rotating said disk at a predetermined speed.

'7. A timing device of the class described, comprising a suitable frame, an annular member mounted on the frame and having a plurality of contact members detachably secured to the periphery thereof, a disk rotatably mounted in tlie'frame on an axis concentric with said annular member, a plurality of contacts carried by said disk and each of said contacts having a flexible portion extending toward said annular member and being normally arranged within said member, the edge of said annular member confronting said disk being formed with a notch, a plunger carried by the frame in register with said notch and being slidably radially and being operable when in out position to guide said flexible portions of the contacts carried by said disk outwardly, whereby they travel on the periphery of said annular member and successively energize the contacts carried thereby, and electroresponsive means operable when energized for moving said plunger outwardly.

8. A timing device of the class described, comprising a suitable frame, an annular member mounted on the frame, a plurality of contacts detachably secured to the periphery of said annular member, a disk rotatably mounted on. the frame on an axis concentric with said annular member, said disk being provided with spaced apart peripheral flanges and said flanges being formed with alined apertures, a contact member extending through each pair of alined apertures with the outer end of the contact arranged within said annular member, and said contact being formed with a bent-over portion detachably interlocked with said apertures, means carried by the frame and operable to shift the free ends of said contacts radially outwardly, whereby they travel on the periphery of said annular member and successively energize the contacts carried thereby during one revolution of said disk.

9. A timing device of the class described, comprising a suitable frame, an annular member mounted on the frame, the periphery of said annular member being formed with a plurality of spaced apart axially extending slots, contact members arranged in said slots and overlapping one edge of said member, and a spring clip detachably engaging the opposite end of said contact members and coacting with the opposite edge of said annular member to detachably secure said contacts in said slots, a disk rotatably journalled in the frame on an axis concentric with said annular member, a plurality of contacts carried by said disk and normally traveling in a path out of engagement with said contacts carried by said annular member and being indi dividually shiftable to travel in a path to successively energize the contacts carried by said annular member during one cycle of said disk, and to return to normal position at the end of said cycle, and means operable to shift certain selected ones of the contacts carried by said disk during each cycle thereof.

10. A timing device of the class described comrising an annular series of contacts, a second annular series of contacts, means for efiecting relative rotation between said first and second series, said second series of contacts being arranged concentrically within said first series and being normally out of engagement with said first series during such relative rotation, and means operable to shift selected ones of the contacts of said second series into engagement with the contacts of said first series and to maintain said shifted contacts in such engagement during one cycle of the movable contacts.

11. A timing device of the class described including an annular series of stationary contacts, a second annular series of contacts arranged concentrically within said first series of contacts and in spaced apart relationship thereto, means for rotating said second series of contacts, and means operable to shift any selected ones of said second contacts radially outwardly into engagement with said stationary contacts and to maintain said shifted contacts in such engagement during one cycle of said second series of contacts.

12. A timing device including an annular member, a second member provided with an annular series of contacts arranged concentrically of said annular member, means for efiecting relative rotation between said members, the contacts carried by said second member being normally positioned on one side of said annular member and being individually shiftable to the opposite side of said member, a series of contacts arranged on one side of said annular member and being engageable by the contacts of said second member when said contacts are positioned on the side of the annular member on which said contacts of the annular member are arranged, and means operable to shift any selected ones of said contacts carried by said second member.

13. A timing device including an annular member, a second member provided with an annular series of contacts arranged concentrically of said annular member, means for effecting relative rotation between said members, the contacts carried by said second member being normally arranged on one side of said annular member and being shiftable to the opposite side of said'member, a series of contacts arranged on one side of said annular member and being engageable by the contacts of said second member when said contacts are positioned on the side of the annular member on which said stationary contacts are arranged, and means carried by said annular member and operable to shift any selected ones of said contacts carried by said second member.

14. A timing device including an annular member, a second member provided with an annular series of contacts arranged concentrically of said annular member, means for efiecting relative rotation between said members, the contacts carried by said second member being normally arranged on one side of said annular member and being shiftable to the opposite side of said member, a series of contacts arranged on one side of said annular member and being engageable by the contacts of said second member when said contacts are positioned on the side of the annular member on which said stationary contacts are arranged, and means operable during such relative rotation of said members to shift any selected ones of said contacts carried by said second member.

15. A timing device of the class described including a stationary annular member, a rotatable member provided with an annular series of contacts arranged substantially coaxial with said stationary member, said contacts normally traveling on one side of said annular member during rotation of said rotatable member and being shiftable to travel on the opposite side of said member, a series of contacts arranged on one side of said annular member and being engageable by the contacts of the rotatable member when said contacts travel on the side of the annular member on which its contacts are arranged, and means operable to shift any selected ones of said movable contacts.

16. A timing device comprising a stationary annular member formed with a notch, a rotatable member provided with an annular series of contacts normally traveling on one side of said annular member during rotation of said rotatable member and being individually shiftable through said notch to travel on the opposite side of said member, a series of contacts arranged on one side of said annular member and being engageable by said movable contacts when the same travel on the side of said annular member on which its 5 contacts are arranged, and means operable to shift any selected ones of said movable contacts.

17. A timing device of the class described including a stationary member, a movable member, a series of contacts carried by said movable member and being arranged tonormally travel on one side of said stationary member and being individually shiftable to travel on the opposite side of said member, a series of contacts arranged on one side of said stationary member and being engageable by said movable contacts when the same travel on the side of the stationary member on which its contacts are arranged, and means operable to shift any selected ones of said movable contacts.

CARL H. BISSELL. 

